“His comments are the reason why Messi is always one step ahead” - When Cristiano Ronaldo got called ‘sore loser’ by opponent at Euro 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo has received praise from a plethora of his opponents, but some have also criticized the Al Nassr star. Former Iceland international Kari Arnason was among the players who weren't quite impressed by Ronaldo's demeanour.
Speaking to the media in 2016 after Portugal v Icealnd game in the European Championships, Arnason was furious that Ronaldo didn't give them credit for making it hard for the eventual champions.
He branded the forward as a 'sore loser' and claimed this was why Lionel Messi was a step ahead in the GOAT debate. He said (via The Guardian):
"He's a fantastic footballer but he's not a gracious human being. The thing is we almost nicked the win so him saying we weren't going for the win contradicts that. We got a draw and could have nicked it. Obviously we're not going to create as many chances as a fantastic team like Portugal but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him. You wouldn't expect Messi to say that. It shows we got under his skin. It was lovely to hear that."
He added:
"It makes it even sweeter when he's a sore loser like that. He can say whatever he wants. He didn't really get a chance. He got one and he couldn't put it away. What can I say? Sore loser. Tough shit. What does he expect – for us to play like Barcelona against him? He fannies about and dives around."
Iceland drew 1-1 with Portugal in the group stages of EURO 2016. Cristiano Ronaldo's side took the lead through Nani in the 31st minute, before Birkir Bjarnason equalized in the 50th minute.
When Kari Arnason faced Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League
Kari Arnason faced Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League when Real Madrid took on Malmo. The Swedish side lost their home clash 2-0, and were thrashed 8-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He was quoted by The Guardian as saying:
"We'd played Real Madrid at home before in Sweden and I thought we had Ronaldo under quite good surveillance, even though he scored two. One was on a counterattack that should never have happened and the other was when one man got sent off and he just buried us. He had a header in the final minutes of this game and a chance in the first half but otherwise I thought we had him under control."
Kari Arnason has only faced Cristiano Ronaldo thrice and has never managed to win against the Portuguese. The Al Nassr star scored six goals in those three games.